Hodgkin's Disease Overview - OmniMedicalSearch.com

Conditions & Diseases: Cancers

Hodgkin's Disease

Introduction & Overview

Hodgkin’s disease, known in medical terms as Hodgkin’s lymphoma, is a form of cancer that develops in the lymphatic system which plays a central role in the body's immune system. This disease was named after the British physician Thomas Hodgkin, who first described this disease in 1832 and its characteristics that distinguish it from other types of cancer. Because it occurs in the lymphatic system, the disease dramatically decreases the body’s ability to fight against infections.

The lymphatic system is made up of (1) lymphatic tissue like lymph nodes and lymph vessels, (2) related organs that are part of the body’s immune system such as spleen, bone marrow, tonsils and thymus, and (3) a blood forming system.

Lymph nodes are small organs with a bean-shape structure, located under the skin along the network of lymph vessels which are spread all over the body. They can be found in the neck, underarm, pelvis and groin area. Lymph nodes are responsible with the production and storing of white cells called lymphocytes, cells that help our body to fight against infections.

These cells are carried by lymph, a colorless, watery fluid through the lymph vessel. Lymph vessels are a wide spread network of tubes having a collector role, similar with blood vessels, where lymph is picked up from different areas of the body and returned into the bloodstream in the left upper chest.

The spleen is a complex organ located in the left side of the upper abdomen near the stomach that produces lymphocytes, filters the blood, stores cells and destroys old blood cells. Bone marrow is a soft, spongy tissue located in the middle of large bones and produces new red and white cells including lymphocytes. Tonsils are two small masses of lymph tissue located in the back area of the throat that produce lymphocytes. The thymus is a small organ in the chest behind the breastbone and produces a special type of lymphocytes called T cells.

Because the lymphatic system is spread in many parts of the body, Hodgkin’s disease can start almost anywhere, but often it occurs in the lymph nodes located in the upper part of the body, like in the chest, neck or underarms area. When Hodgkin’s disease occurs., lymphatic tissues start to enlarge, putting pressure on neighboring organs or tissues and normally spread out through the lymphatic vessels to other nearby lymph nodes. It is not common for the Hodgkin’s disease to be carried by blood vessels and spread to other areas of the body.

Because lymph nodes can inflammate for numerous other reasons, (when the body fights against an infection), a complex examination by a doctor is necessary where medical procedures and tests are conducted in order to establish a diagnosis of cancer. When Hodgkin’s disease occurs, a new type of cells called Reed-Sternberg cells are produced. These cells look different from other type of cancers cells and scientists now consider these Reed-Sternberg cells are a type of malignant B lymphocytes or abnormal B cells.

Normally, the lymphatic system produces normal B cells, (a type of lymph cells that play an important role in the immune system’s response to infections or foreign invaders). These B cells become plasma cells and produce antibodies necessary in fighting infection and normally work with T cells which kills foreign invaders directly. When these B cells develop into an abnormal number, they become Reed-Sternberg cells that stop the normal cycle of B cells by not dying and continuing the malignant process of producing abnormal B cells.

Hodgkin’s lymphoma occurs in both adults and children, but the treatment is different for both age categories. There are two main types of Hodgkin’s disease:

I. Classical Hodgkin’s lymphoma: - lymphocytes predominance

nodular sclerosis
lymphocytes depletion

II. Nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin’s lymphoma

Article by Alina Morrow, MS
Medical Writer,
OmniMedicalSearch.com